Be Careful What You Wish For
by avan337
Summary: What happens when Jeff gets what he says he wants
1. Chapter 1

**Be Careful What You Wish For  
**_What happens when Jeff gets what he says he wants_

Annie had begun dating Darren over Spring Break. When she introduced him to the group, Jeff instantly tagged him as a douchebag and insisted that Britta and Shirley talk to her. Britta, having been down this road before with Vaughn, flat out refused to get involved in Annie's dating life again. Shirley, though admitting she was a little worried about Darren's character, was too caught up with her pregnancy to deal with a new problem.

Out of desperation, Jeff brought this problem to the guys. Abed reminded him that the last time he interfered in one of the women's love life, Britta's nephew had thought she was coming on to him. Troy took Abed's side, mainly because they had plans to freeze some Special Drink to see how it tasted as ice cream, and that was more fun than talking to Annie about another dude. Pierce's only response was to mutter, "Just pork her already."

So that left Jeff. And while he didn't relish the thought of talking to Annie about this guy, someone had to do it. You know, for her sake.

Which is how he got to be where he was now: in a screaming match with Annie, just the two of them left in the study room.

"I can't believe you are doing this again!" she yelled, her hands balled into fists.

"All I'm doing is pointing out that you have terrible taste in men!" he yelled back, hunching over to get in her face.

She raised an eyebrow and lowered her voice to a dangerous level. "Well, maybe that's true, since I used to have a thing for you."

Jeff knew she was trying to get him angry, to flip the script, but he wasn't biting. He could push her buttons, too.

"_Used_ to have a thing for me?" he asked, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "C'mon, Annie, how do I know you're not dating this loser just to make me jealous?"

She had pursed her lips together as he spoke, ready to make a quick retort. But as his words registered, all she did was blow out a small breath and take a step back.

Jeff was expecting more vitriol, so he was shocked to see her move away. He watched as she crossed her arms as if she was protecting herself from his words, from him.

He straightened up to his full height and exhaled. "Look, Annie," he began more calmly.

"No, you're right, I admit it," she interrupted, turning her eyes to him. "I know Darren is a loser, but he's the only guy that has paid me attention in months. So I agreed to go out with him, partly because he was there, and partly because I was secretly hoping you would hate it."

Jeff shook his head slowly. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Why not?" Annie asked, feeling a little bolder. "You _do_ hate it. We wouldn't be here right now if you didn't."

"I'm just trying to look after you, as a friend," he offered.

"That's bull, Jeff!" she cried, stepping back into his personal space. "Maybe that kiss last year meant more to me than it did to you, and maybe I've read more into everything that's happened since then, but you feel something for me, too."

"Annie, we're friends," he repeated.

She nodded. "Yes, we are friends. But there's something else there, too. It's been there since the debate. It's why you hated the idea of me dating Vaughn, it's why you wouldn't let Rich get voted into the group, and it's why you're trying to get me to dump Darren."

Annie was now mere inches away from him, her finger pointed into his chest. "I can admit that I tried to make you jealous, so why can't you just admit that you _are_ jealous? What are you so scared, of Jeff?"

She was taunting him, he reminded himself. He should be mature and not give in to it. But she was giving him such a smug look, it made him snap.

"All right, I admit it!" he yelled, arms in the air. "I hated it when you dated Vaughn, I hated the idea of you dating Rich, and I hate that you're now dating Douchebag Number Three."

Even though he was yelling and pushing into her personal space, causing her to blindly step backwards, Annie smiled triumphantly.

"I would hate the idea of you dating Troy," he ranted on, "or Fat Neil, or that guy," he said, pointing to a random man walking past the study room. "And while we're at it, I hate the idea of you transferring, and I sometimes think about you when I'm out with other women and all of it, Annie, all of it is _really, really_ bad."

"But why is it bad?" she implored, taking a step forward. "Why is the idea of us so bad for you?"

He once again lowered his face to make direct eye contact. "No, not bad for me: bad for you. I. Am. Bad. For. YOU."

"Don't you get it?" he continued. "You think I've been leading you on, or messing with your head or whatever. But what I've really been doing, since the night of the Transfer Dance, is protecting you from me."

"Oh, c'mon Jeff," she scoffed, crossing her arms again. "That is such a lame excuse."

He stared at her, begging her to understand. "I don't want to be _that guy_. The guy who breaks your heart in college; the guy you compare every other asshole you date to for the rest of your life."

Jeff flailed his arms around and tried to mimic her voice. "'I should have known that guy was going to be a jerk, he's just another Jeff Winger. What did I say about that loser? Just a Jeff Winger in disguise. I can't believe I got hurt by that Jeff Winger-esque douche.'"

He let out a breath as he finished and shrugged. "I'm not going to be that guy for you, Annie."

Annie watched him for a few moments, searched his eyes for any sign that he was being insincere. Not seeing any, she gave him a shrug of her own and said simply. "Okay."

"Okay?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah; I get it, finally," she nodded. "No more trying to make you jealous, no more pining away for you, no more anything."

"You win," she continued, stepping closer to him. "You're bad for me, and I need to stop thinking there can ever be anything between us beyond friendship. Okay."

She held out her hand for him to shake.

Jeff hesitated, but he saw nothing in her features to show she was faking. He took her hand. "Well, great then."

"Great," Annie smiled, picking up her backpack. "I have to get going."

"Okay," he nodded.

At the door she hesitated and said, "And I'm going to break up with Darren. I deserve better."

"Cool," was his only reply.

Jeff stepped out of the study room and watched as she made her way down the hall. Annie didn't look back. He should have felt relieved, happy even. But all he felt was sad.

She hadn't looked back.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm trying to remain spoiler-free so this is all AU..._

The last few months of the semester went by uneventfully. Annie had broken up with Darren and announced that she was just going to concentrate on finals then earning enough money over the summer to afford a nicer apartment. She called it "Operation: Better Neighborhood" and had created several Excel sheets outlining potential budgets.

For his part, Jeff dated the occasional woman, but found himself spending more time with the group and less time cruising bars.

* * *

On a Wednesday afternoon, instead of meeting to study for their Anthropology final, they all gathered at the hospital. Shirley had gone into labor during her last Marketing class, and as soon as Andre gave the okay, they rushed over to meet little Jasmine, a beautiful girl who, thankfully, bore no resemblance to Chang.

Jeff offered his congratulations to Shirley and took a cigar from Andre, then stood in the back with the rest of the guys while the women cooed over the baby. Pierce left after a few minutes, not really caring for babies and figuring he would spare them one day of offensive comments. Abed had brought his camera, as usual, and was interviewing Andre when Annie, baby in arms, came over to Jeff.

"Look at her," Annie told him, beaming, "She's just perfect."

Jeff watched her slide a finger into Jasmine's hand, saw the baby grip it. "All babies kinda look like aliens, don't ya think?"

She gasped and moved her hand to cover the baby's ear. "All babies are beautiful!" she corrected.

Recovering from the offense quickly, Annie smiled and moved forward. "Do you want to hold her?"

Jeff held up his hands in protest and backed up slightly, "Oh, no."

"C'mon, Jeff, she's just a little baby," Annie said, with a hint of teasing in her voice. "Afraid she's going to get your designer t-shirt messy?"

"No, I'm just," Jeff's words fumbled out as his back hit the wall. "Look, Annie, I know what you're trying to do and it won't work."

"What am I trying to do?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"You think I'm going to hold the baby, and realize it's not so bad, and then I'll think that maybe I can be a dad after all," Jeff rambled, "and there you'll be, hovering over us, and we'll laugh and say goo-goo ga-ga to the baby, and I'll realize what a great family we could make and how we should be together. But it won't work."

Annie's mouth had dropped open in shock as she listened. When he was done she stared at him for a few seconds.

"Wow, Jeff, talk about your conspiracy theories," she said, laughing a little. "I just thought you might want to hold Jasmine, because she's Shirley's daughter and is now going to be a part of our lives to some degree. I thought you might want to get to know her a little."

Jeff's eyes widened as he realized she wasn't covering; she was telling the truth.

"But obviously you're way too neurotic to be trusted with an infant." He watched Annie turn her attention to the baby and turn her back to him. "C'mon, sweetie, let's get away from the crazy man," she cooed to Jasmine, "I'll introduce you to Troy instead."

As Jeff watched Annie hand Jasmine to Troy, and watched the exact scene play out in front of him that he had imagined a minute earlier, only with Troy instead of him, he felt a knot in his stomach. Part of him wanted to go over and apologize to her, and ask to hold the baby. Part of him wanted to run like hell and never look back. Instead he just stood there, in the shadows, watching everyone else.


	3. Chapter 3

The summer came, and Jeff spent time with various members of the group, mainly Abed and Troy. He had only seen Annie once because she was so busy working two jobs. She had even missed their Fourth of July barbecue at Pierce's. He wouldn't come right out and admit he missed her, but things had felt different without her around.

* * *

One night, heading home from the mall, Jeff decided to drop by the coffee shop where Annie worked. It was on his way, he told himself, and it was a friendly thing to do. She would surely be happy to see him, and he would leave a nice tip in the jar to help her out.

Feeling very magnanimous, he walked into the shop, preparing to hear her squeal when she spotted him. When all he heard was a gruff "hey, man" from the guy at the cash register, he glanced around to see Annie leaning over the pastry display, engaged in an animated conversation. With a guy he'd never seen before.

"Hey, Annie," he called out. She turned her head, and her eyes opened wide for a split second as she registered his presence. But she quickly recovered and gave him the squealed, "Jeff!" he was expecting. Then she waved him over.

As Jeff walked down to where they were, he gave this guy a cautious once over. He was shorter than Jeff (no surprise there), and looked to be much closer to Annie's age. He had short brown hair, wore jeans and a crew neck tee, and seemed incredibly nondescript. Whatever he was, he didn't appear to be a douchebag, or a serial killer.

"Jeff, this is Scott," Annie offered, showing no sign of discomfort at him meeting this guy. "Scott, Jeff's in my study group that I told you about."

"Oh, right, nice to meet you," Scott enthused, shaking his hand soundly. "Annie said you were a great bunch."

"Did she now?" Jeff asked, looking questioningly at the both of them. "And how do you two know each other?"

"From here," she answered. Scott added, "I've been coming here for years. This place has the best coffee, and the service has been much better lately."

Jeff noticed the grin and wink Scott gave Annie as he said the last part. She giggled and blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"What brings you by, Jeff?" she asked, turning her attention back to him.

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood, just thought I would say hi." He waited for an oversized grin to come his way, but she just nodded her head and said, "Well, you should try the Colombian blend. It's tonight's special, and I know how much you like Colombian things."

He scoffed, surprised to hear Annie teasing him in front of this stranger. "Uh, yeah," was all he said.

"Todd can take your order, and I'll come join you in a sec, okay?" Jeff wasn't certain, but he felt like he was being dismissed.

He moved back down to the end of the counter and placed his order, casting side glances at Annie and Scott while he paid. Their heads were bent down together and their voices had lowered. She was giving him another schmoopy smile. Then Scott patted her arm and pushed off from the counter. He walked by and shook Jeff's hand again before leaving. Jeff felt an unnatural urge to punch him, but instead shook back, smiled and politely said goodbye.

He sat down and watched as Annie waited on a few customers before she came around and joined him. "So what have you been up to this summer?" she asked casually.

Jeff noted her easy manner. "Not nearly as much as you," he answered directly, "so who's the guy?"

She rolled her eyes. "Really, Jeff? Are we going to do this again?"

He held his hands up defensively. "I'm not doing anything. I'm just inquiring about your new friend." He gave her his most charming smile.

She smiled back tightly, not believing him. "Scott is twenty-four," she began, dragging out his age for emphasis. "He graduated from UC-Boulder last year in Architecture and is finishing up an internship with a local firm. They have already offered him a full-time job when he's done."

"Wow," Jeff said, surprised she knew that much about him.

"Wait, there's more," Annie continued, "he has an older brother and a younger sister, he likes to play baseball and tennis and his favorite meal is steak and a baked potato."

"You know a lot about the guy considering you just talk to him here," he noted.

"We've been dating for five weeks," she countered.

Jeff's eyebrows shot up near his hairline. "What?"

"Oh, Jeff, relax," Annie said, "he's a really nice guy. I told him all about my pill addiction and nervous breakdown, and sure, he was a little freaked out at first, but he's been great about it. I even met his family. Scott invited me to their annual Fourth of July picnic."

"I thought you were working on the Fourth," he said accusingly.

At this, she cowered slightly. "I felt bad about lying to Pierce, but I wasn't ready to say anything about Scott yet. Anyway, I'm sure you all had a good time without me."

"Is that how it's going to be, Annie?" Jeff asked, continuing in his lawyer voice. "Are you going to forget about your friends now that you have a boyfriend?"

"Of course not!" she yelled defensively. "I will spend time with you all outside of Study Group when I can, but you will have to accept that Scott is in my life, too. Promise me you won't try to ruin this, Jeff."

The words stung, but he knew she had every right to say them. He looked at her for a minute. Her hair was longer, she was tan with a slight burn on her nose, and she seemed more…alive than she had in a very long time. Possibly since the night of the Transfer Dance, just moments before they kissed.

"I'm sorry I've been such a jerk to you," he said softly. "If you really like this guy, and he treats you well, then I won't interfere, and I'll make sure no one else in the group does, either."

Annie had felt his eyes inspecting her, wondered what he saw. His apology was surprisingly sincere, and she softened. She never could stay mad at him, anyway.

"Thanks," she told him, then gave him a big smile. "I can't wait for everyone else to meet Scott. I think you guys will really like him. Maybe we can all do something before school starts back up."

Seeing her smile made him smile, too, though he felt like there was a part of her that was slipping through his fingers.

"That sounds cool," Jeff told her, "I'll mention a movie night to Abed and he'll get the ball rolling."

"Hey, Annie, some help up here!" her coworker yelled, causing them both to look his way.

Annie turned back to Jeff. "Well, I gotta…" and nodded toward the counter.

"Yeah, okay," he said, "I guess I'll see you later."

She stood and looked down at him. "Bye, Jeff. Thanks for stopping to say hello."

His only answer was, "Sure." After she returned to the counter and waited on a few customers, she glanced over to his table, only to find him gone.


	4. Chapter 4

By the start of the fall semester, everyone in the group had met Scott and given their approval. Jeff had to admit that the guy was not a douche, and Annie seemed really happy. He found that he could tolerate Scott's presence first at Abed's movie nights, then at their Christmas party, without wanting to punch him all the time; just some of the time.

Annie announced, upon their return from Spring Break, that Scott had gotten a new job in San Diego, and he wanted her to go with him. She was going to finish out the semester at Greendale and think about things, but she was already applying to schools there, so they all faced the inevitable.

* * *

The inevitable came in the form of Annie being easily accepted into the University of California at San Diego. They threw a big going away party for her after their last final in the study room, which she had requested, since it was where they all became friends.

Everyone came by and gave Annie a final hug as the party ended. Jeff lingered in the back by the couches, waiting for the rest of them to leave. When Annie realized they were alone, she gave him a small smile and a shrug.

"Can you believe it's been just over a year since we were here fighting about that loser Darren?" he asked as he made his way over to her.

"We were fighting about you and me," she answered with a knowing look.

"Yeah, I guess we were," he admitted. "Good thing you dodged _that_ bullet."

Annie's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. "Don't you think it's better if we just don't go there?"

Jeff held his hands up, raised his eyebrows in acquiescence.

They stood there awkwardly, neither ready to leave but not quite sure what to say.

"I've been to San Diego a few times," he said after a minute. "You'll like it there."

"I hope so," she replied with a sigh. "Though there is a lot I'll miss about Greendale."

Jeff was suddenly earnest as he stood right in front of her and searched her eyes. "You really want to be with this guy, right? He makes you happy?"

Annie was a little taken aback. She and Jeff hadn't talked, really talked, in ages. She nodded. "He's no Jeff Winger," she said, with a smirk, "but yeah, I'm really happy. I wouldn't be going with him if I wasn't."

He exhaled and took a step back. "Good, I'm glad." He gave her another pointed look. "No matter what you think, Annie, all I ever wanted was for you to be happy."

She smiled a sad, regretful smile. "I know. So what about you? Does this Melissa person you're seeing make you happy?"

He had to spend a few seconds conjuring up an image of the woman he'd been dating for the past three months. "Sure," he replied, smirking back at her. "I mean, she's no Annie Edison, but she'll do."

At that, Annie laughed and drew him in for a hug. "I will miss you, Jeff."

He clutched her tightly and closed his eyes, pretending for a moment that nothing had changed since the day they both ran for student body president. When he opened his eyes he replied, "And I'll miss you, milady."


	5. Chapter 5

It was just after Thanksgiving during their senior year when Jeff happened to check Annie's Facebook page and noticed that her relationship status now said "Single." His first instinct was to call her, or to hop a plane to San Diego and kick Scott's ass. Instead he called Britta.

"It happened about a week ago," Britta explained. "Scott decided he wasn't ready for a serious relationship, which is bullshit since he was the one who asked Annie to move there with him. What a douche in nice guy's clothing."

"Yeah," Jeff agreed, trying to think back for any signs of Scott's douchebaggery that he may have missed. "So what's Annie going to do, come home and finish her degree here?"

"No, she got the apartment in the break up!" Britta's voiced was laced with female righteous indignation. "She has a job, and new friends, so she's going to look for a roommate to help with expenses and finish up her degree at UC-San Diego. I think she plans on staying there after graduation."

"Huh," was the only thing he could mutter in return. He had just assumed that Annie would be coming back, would need them now. It never occurred to him that she would stay.

Jeff never did call her, just sent a text that he heard the news and was sorry. Annie texted back that she was okay, and that was the last he heard from her.

* * *

After graduating from Greendale, Jeff tried valiantly to stay in touch with the study group. But working as a lawyer again, only this time having to prove himself even more, left little time for a social life. And when not working he tried being in a few actual relationships, but he always managed to sabotage them before things got too serious.

So he was left with the occasional calls, texts and Facebook messages from his old friends, along with the rare get together. He knew that Shirley, Britta and Abed all kept in touch with Annie, but they never talked about her in his presence and he never asked. Some books were just better left closed, he figured.


	6. Chapter 6

It was roughly two and a half years after graduation when he got an email from Abed, insisting that they all get together. The holidays were coming on, and Abed promised them a big surprise. Jeff figured his friend must have some new movie to premiere to them, but seeing as he had the night free and was feeling a little nostalgic, he decided to go.

He was walking out of his office on his way to the restaurant when the phone rang. One of his former clients had a son who had just been arrested, and they wanted Jeff to meet him at the police station. With a growl of frustration, he agreed and sent an apology text to Abed, promising to watch the new movie some other night.

* * *

"Happy New Year, Jenny!" Jeff said effusively to the nurse as he walked past her station.

Jenny giggled and blushed and wished him a happy New Year, too. He continued his walk down the hospital hallway smugly, knowing all the women were watching the tall, handsome lawyer in the expensive Italian suit. _Suck it, doctors, in your stupid scrubs_ he thought as he opened the door to the HR offices.

"Hey Louise, Happy New Year," he said in a flirty tone to the receptionist, "Did you get prettier since the last time I was here?"

The woman, in her 50s with graying hair and a larger waistline than she would like, smiled up at him but was not fooled. "Happy New Year to you, too, Jeff. What do you want?"

"Louise, you wound me," he continued flirting. "I just need a few minutes with Dan about a client of mine who happens to be a guest of your fine hospital."

"No can do," Louise replied, "Dan's not here."

Jeff glanced over at the office door, saw the lights on and the blinds open. "Oh, come on, he won't mind a visit from his favorite lawyer."

"Jeff, I'm telling you, Dan doesn't-"

He pushed off of the receptionist counter and ignored her continued protests. Walking to the door, he gave a quick knock then opened it without waiting, "Hey, buddy, Hap-"

Jeff's words froze in his mouth and his motion stopped when he saw the gorgeous brunette sitting at the desk. She turned away from her computer and looked up at him.

"What the-" she began, then also stopped as she saw him in the door.

"Annie?" Jeff was wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Jeff?" Her wide eyes and equally surprised expression convinced him that it really was her. She stood up.

"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time, then laughed. "You first," he said with a nod.

"I just started working here the first of the year," Annie said.

"She's the new Dan," Louise offered from behind Jeff. He hadn't heard or seen the woman walk up behind him, and when she spoke he practically jumped out of his skin.

Annie laughed as Louise handed her a file and left them alone, closing the door behind her. She motioned for Jeff to sit in one of the guest chairs as she returned to her seat.

"What happened to Dan?" he began as he sat down. "When did you move back to Colorado? Do the others know you're here?"

Clearly amused, Annie answered his questions in turn. "Dan got a job at the research hospital in Denver. I moved back in October. Yes, the others know I'm here. Abed wanted to surprise everyone, so he planned a get together that you, sadly, could not attend."

Jeff thought back to the night in November when he had to cancel at the last minute. "Oh, that's what that was," he said before turning his attention back to Annie. "Well, why didn't you call after that? Why didn't anyone else tell me you were here?"

She shrugged and looked down. "I guess no one figured it mattered. I heard they don't see you very often."

"Well, we've all been busy, I suppose," he said defensively.

"Which brings me back to my question," she replied, "what are you doing here?"

He looked at her as she spoke. The short skirts had been replaced with longer, sleeker ones. The high-collared sweaters had been exchanged for low-cut blouses and suit jackets, but she was still the same, beautiful, bright-eyed Annie he remembered.

"Jeff?"

"Hmm?" he asked, shaking his head clear.

"Why did you barge into my office?"

"Oh, that," he said with a smile, "I have a client upstairs who can't pay…yet. I usually worked with Dan on payment schedules and anticipated lawsuit payoffs, things like that."

"Great," Annie said sarcastically. "This should be a fun part of my job."

"You know what?" he asked, checking his watch. "It's almost noon. Are you free for lunch? I'd love to catch up."

She checked his expression, tried to figure out if this was an "old friend" thing, or something else. "Actually, I'm not. I have a meeting with the head of the nurses union."

He snorted. "And you think talking to me about suing drunk drivers is going to be painful?"

She chuckled and he watched her. He tapped the edge of the chair mindlessly before saying, "Well, if you're not free for lunch, how about dinner?"

Despite herself, Annie felt the same way she did when he offered to split dessert with her in the Greendale cafeteria. "Okay," she agreed, smiling.

Jeff smiled, too. "Okay."


	7. Chapter 7

Jeff downed the last of his drink and glanced again at the door of the restaurant. He wondered if he was going to be stood up by Annie Edison, of all people, and tried not to think about why the idea bothered him so much.

Checking his watch he saw that she was only five – no, six – minutes late, but the Annie he remembered was always punctual. He thought about calling her then realized he didn't have her number.

He swiveled around on the barstool and ordered another scotch. As he waited for his drink and ran through the numerous reasons why she wasn't there (she went to the wrong restaurant, she remembered she hated him, she had car trouble, she remembered she _really_ hated him) he felt someone slide onto the stool next to him. Glancing over, he noticed the wave of her dark hair, then the dress that at first seemed conservative but had a slit that led his eyes right to her legs, all the way down to her heels.

"Hello," Annie said playfully, causing him to move his eyes up to her face, his mouth slightly open. "Sorry I'm late," she said more seriously.

Jeff waited for more of an explanation but didn't get any. "It's fine," he said, trying for nonchalant, "I was just ordering another drink. Want something?"

She breezily requested a glass of merlot, which felt weird to him. "The last time I saw you, you were barely past the legal drinking age," he noted.

"The last time you saw me I put little troll erasers on my pencils," she replied self-deprecatingly. "People change," she said just as his scotch was put in front of him. "Or, not."

"I've changed," he said defensively, picking up his glass, "but you don't mess with the classics." When her wine arrived he held out his glass for a toast. "Milady," he said, smiling.

He saw a slight twinge in Annie's face before she recovered with a broad smile and offered back, "Milord."

* * *

After they were shown to their table and they ordered, Jeff crossed his arms in front of him and leaned towards her. "I can't believe you're in Colorado again. What made you decide to move back?"

Annie finished her sip of wine and answered. "My father had a stroke." Seeing the look of concern on Jeff's face she quickly added, "He's fine, now. It was mild, and he made a full recovery after a few weeks of physical therapy."

"When did it happen?"

"September," she answered. "I had just graduated in the summer session with my MBA, so I came out to see him. I'm ashamed it took him having a stroke for me to reach out to him, but it's been…good for us."

He nodded. "That's great that you were there for him."

"We had been speaking, a little," she said, running her finger around the rim of her wine glass. "But the stroke made me realize how I could lose him so quickly. Since there wasn't anything keeping me in California, I decided to come back and start looking for a job here. Meanwhile I've been able to get close to my dad again, and things have even gotten better with my mom."

As she spoke Jeff saw traces of the old Annie, but they were mixed with this new person. It made him sad in a way, but he found this Annie just as attractive as the one he knew before.

"Well, whatever the reason, it's nice to have you back," he told her sincerely.

"Thanks," she smiled. "How about you? Back to your exciting lawyer life since Greendale?"

"Not exactly," he replied with a wince. "I'm still working off the fake degree stigma, plus the 'I got my real degree at Greendale' stigma. But overall, I can't complain."

Annie gave him a smirk. "No wife and kids? No dog and white picket fence?"

He knew she was expecting him to laugh off the idea of marriage. "No," he answered simply, giving her an intense look. "There hasn't been anyone in the Greendale area who's been willing to put up with me for too long."

She looked down uncomfortably, and was saved by the arrival of their meals. A few minutes later Jeff asked her, "What about you? Were you seeing someone in San Diego before you moved back?"

She nodded as she finished chewing. "Um-hmm. But I didn't think it was going anywhere, so I just ended it when I decided to move."

Jeff eyed her nervously. "And what about since you've been back?"

"Oh, no!" she said with a dismissive wave. "I've been too busy helping Dad, then looking for a job, then settling into the job I got."

He exhaled, trying not to show just how relieved he felt. He smiled at a memory. "You know, I think Abed and I had a bet one time about which of us in the group would get married first. We had to play Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who got you, because we were both so sure you would be first."

Her response knocked the smile right off his face. "I almost did get married, about two years ago."

"What?" Jeff realized after the fact that he had yelled. He noticed a few people staring at them and offered Annie an apologetic, but still curious, look.

She laughed at his reaction. "There was this guy, it all happened fast; I thought he was the one. We went to Vegas for a vacation and he asked me to elope. I would have, too, if I hadn't taken a call from one of my girlfriends. She talked me out of it, and the guy broke up with me a month later."

"Whoa," he answered, still thrown. "That is just…not typical Annie behavior. You haven't changed _that_ much, have you?"

"No," she chided. "I was being stupid, yet again." Then with a glint in her eye she said, "The guy was just another Scott Ingram."

Jeff thought back to their conversation that day in the study room, when he said he didn't want to be _that guy_. He didn't know how to reply, so she just looked at her.

"You know, that douchebag I dated in college?" Annie asked, smiling. "Oh, come on, Jeff, I'm teasing. You can laugh."

"Oh-kay," he said hesitantly.

"I've thought about that fight we had a lot over the years," she remarked before taking another sip of wine.

"Really?" When he thought about Annie, it was usually her kissing him at the debate, or confronting him in the men's bathroom, or just all the little things he remembered from their time in the study group.

"Yeah, it turns out you were right," she said with a nod. "I still compare guys I date to Scott, check to see their douchebag level. When I think about it, I'm really glad that guy wasn't you. We can still be friends. So thank you, for doing what you did back then."

Jeff didn't really want to be thanked for that, but he wasn't sure exactly what he did want. He just knew he was happy to see Annie, happy that they could be friends again.

"Don't mention it," he smiled.

She smiled back, but the moment was interrupted by a buzz from her phone. "Oh, it's Shirley!" she exclaimed as she looked down at the screen. "I told her I was meeting you, and she made me promise to get you to swear we'd all get together soon."

"I'd like that," he answered, enjoying the look of excitement on her face as she sent a text back to Shirley.

"So you _haven't_ been avoiding them?" Annie asked after she had put her phone away.

He shook his head. "No, not really. I've been working, a lot." He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. "But it's also hard, watching everyone move on, not really sure what's holding us together anymore." It was the most honest assessment he'd ever made of the situation.

"I get that," she replied with a nod. "I haven't really kept in touch with too many of my classmates from the MBA program since I got back, and I hadn't done that great of a job keeping in touch with my undergrad friends when I was in graduate school. BUT," she exclaimed, putting on her formidable face, "we should try. We were all so close once. I don't see any reason why we can't still be a part of each other's lives."

Her enthusiasm was as catchy as it always was, but he was still the cynical one. "Maybe," he offered, "we'll see. Let's just try and find a date when we're all free and can get together."

"Is that a challenge, Jeff Winger?" she asked, eyebrow cocked.

Jeff laughed. "Sure, why not. Let's make it interesting. You find a date that works for everyone, and I'll have it at my condo."

Annie smiled, satisfied. "Oooo, your condo, fancy! Deal," she said, offering her hand across the table.

He remembered a time when their deals ended with a hug. But like she said, things had changed. Giving her a broad smile, he grasped her hand and gave it a firm shake. "Deal."


	8. Chapter 8

_I swear I wrote this before last night's episode! _

_Thanks for all of the nice feedback. It's appreciated._

* * *

"Then I said, 'Well, I was hoping for children, but what are you gonna do?'" Pierce looked around to the others as he finished his story. They all stared back at him either blankly or in full-on disgust.

True to her word and determination, Annie had found a day, not long after her dinner with Jeff, when everyone could get together. Jeff honored his commitment to have the party at his condo but drew the line at cooking, so he ordered pizza and Chinese. Of course, there was lots of liquor involved.

"I still can't believe you got married again," Jeff said after a moment, "And what I mean is, I can't believe that nice woman agreed to spend the rest of her life with you."

Pierce had met Stacy during their last year of college. She was in her mid-50s, had grandchildren and was very caring. For some reason, she fell in love with Pierce. Going against his type, Pierce had fallen in love with her and dated her for a while before jumping into his eighth marriage.

"And I missed the wedding!" Annie said sadly.

"It was great," Abed piped up, "Troy had an awesome Best Man's toast."

"I did," Troy replied as he and Abed did their special handshake. Then he got a faraway look in his eye as he said, "There were a lot of hot girls at that wedding. Pierce, you and Stacy should have a party so I can hook up with one of those hot girls."

"That's not nice, Troy," Shirley reprimanded.

"And just like that, we're back to our old ways," Britta mused from her end of the couch.

"I think it's great," Annie said, smiling at them as she slipped her arm through Abed's. "I missed you all so much."

Though Jeff didn't say anything, he realized during the night that he had missed everyone, too. He had enjoyed catching up, as well as watching Annie catch up. The group just seemed happier with her around.

"Yeah, we should do this more often," answered Britta, giving Jeff a pointed glare.

"Oh, we should!" Shirley agreed, clapping her hands.

Jeff rose from the chair he had been occupying. "You're right; we should get together more often. I'm sorry I've been so busy, but I promise, if you give me enough notice, I will make it a priority from now on."

Everyone seemed pleased with his speech. Annie mused to herself that, even after all of his time away from them, he was still their leader.

"Now that Annie's back she can organize things," Abed said, turning to her. "You always were the best at that."

She replied with an "aww" as Pierce rose and came to her side. "Abed's right, we needed you back, Princess Elizabeth." He bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek then announced. "Well, this has been fun, but I have a wife at home to pleasure, so I'll say goodnight."

The others groaned at Pierce's remark, but then Shirley decided it was time to get home to Andre and the kids, and Britta said she had an early meeting, and Abed said he planned to be up all night editing his latest movie. Just like that they were gone, leaving Jeff to pick up the trash and Annie washing the glasses and utensils they had used.

"You don't have to do that," he told her as he threw the pizza box into a trash bag.

"I don't mind," she answered, "it's the least I can do after making you host this shindig."

Jeff watched as she rinsed off the last of the dishes then said, "You didn't make me. You won the bet, fair and square, and I paid up." He gave her a smile. "Besides, I had fun."

"Me, too," she agreed, smiling back at him. "Did you mean what you said about making the group a priority again?"

He nodded. "I'll have to keep logging these kind of hours at work for at least another year, just to prove I'm worthy of making partner, but sure." He added with a wry grin, "I mean, no man is an island, right?"

Annie rolled her eyes and snorted at his remark as she made her way to the dining room table to pick up her purse and jacket. "Whatever gets you to our next outing, Jeff, though I don't know how frequent they will actually be. Everyone is so busy with their own separate things. I know _I'm_ still getting familiar with my job, which has required more than a few late nights."

He leaned against the wall as he watched her put on her jacket. "Yeah, being a grown up really sucks sometimes, doesn't it?"

She gave him an enigmatic look, and he could feel a new tension in the air. While he was thinking of something to say, she picked up her bag, smiled and walked towards him. "Thanks for having us over," she said, patting his one of his crossed arms. "It really was a fun night."

"No problem," he answered as she stepped past him and towards the door. Before she got there he called out, "Hey, Annie."

When she turned around he asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?"

She smiled in confusion. "Didn't we just have dinner a few weeks ago?"

Jeff uncrossed his arms and moved closer to her. "Uh-huh, and now I'm asking if you would like to do that again."

A look of understanding passed her features. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Though he was feeling nervous, he gave her his patented smirk and answered, "That _is_ what the kids are calling it these days, yes."

To Jeff's horror, he saw the air deflate out of her lungs and an expression of guilt creep onto her face. He decided to backpedal. "Hey, if you're not interested, it's no big deal…"

Annie shook her head and emitted a small laugh. "It's not a matter of being interested." She looked him directly in the eyes. "I've always been interested. It's just that…well, I'm still getting used to being back here, and I'm working on my relationship with my parents, and-"

He offered her a small smile as he placed his hands on her upper arms, stilling her. "It's okay, Annie, I get it."

She groaned and titled her head to the ceiling. "God, if this were me five years ago."

"But it's not," he said as he stepped back. "We've both changed. You grew up."

"And you didn't?" she asked, teasing.

"Maybe I did," he answered seriously. "I know I'm not interested in chasing everything in a skirt anymore."

She matched his tone. "Are you saying you're ready for a commitment? That all the issues you struggled with at Greendale have been resolved?"

Jeff felt caught off guard. He realized too late that he just expected her to accept his invitation; maybe even be a little grateful. "Uh, I don't know about all that," he replied. "But I didn't ask you out with the intention of treating you like crap, Annie."

"I know," she said, giving him an apologetic look. "It's me, Jeff. I've made a lot of bad choices with guys and I'm not ready to make another one." When his eyebrows knit together in indignation she quickly added, "NOT that you are a bad choice; just that us, dating, is a bad choice, for me, right now. Can you understand that?" she asked hopefully.

He let out a long breath. Brutal honestly wasn't usually his thing, but maybe he deserved it from her. "Of course I understand."

Annie relaxed a little, smiled at him again. "And we can be friends? Because I really miss being your friend, Jeff."

"Friends," he agreed with a smile, offering his hand to shake.

Instead of taking it, she reached up and put her arms around him. Jeff realized it had been nearly four years since they had last stood like this, hugging goodbye in the old study room. He breathed her in and held her close until she pulled away a moment later, whispered another goodbye and left. He stood there a few minutes after she was gone, staring at the door, before finishing his cleaning.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks again for the nice feedback! You all are encouraging!_

* * *

Jeff carefully balanced the cardboard cup holder as he opened the door to the hospital's HR offices. "Good morning, Louise!" he said as he approached the receptionist's desk. Once there, he offered her one of the cups he was holding. "A grande skinny mocha for you."

Louise eyed him a little skeptically, but she smiled and offered her thanks.

"Annie available?" Jeff asked casually.

The older woman almost laughed at his attempt to be blasé. "She's meeting with a doctor; shouldn't be much longer if you want to wait."

"Cool," he said, placing the cup holder on the counter top and leaning on his elbow.

"You know, Jeff, I don't remember you dropping by this much when Dan worked here," Louise said slyly.

He cocked his head and seemed to consider her words. "Hmm, maybe I just have more cases affiliated with this hospital now," he replied, smiling but glaring at her with his eyes.

Completely unaffected, Louise raised an eyebrow at him then returned to her computer work.

A few minutes passed before they heard the turn of a doorknob and voices coming from Annie's office. He had just turned his head in that direction when he heard, "Jeff? Is that you, buddy?"

Jeff couldn't believe his eyes. "RICH?" He looked at Annie for confirmation; she mouthed the words, "Be nice."

Rich, wearing an immaculately white doctor's coat and a shiny stethoscope around his neck, pulled him into a half hug as he shook his hand violently. "Wow, it is good to see you, guy!" Looking over to Annie he added, "This is just one big Greendale reunion."

Jeff faked a laugh and said, "Yaaaayyyy." He looked between the doctor and his friend. "So, you work at this hospital?"

"He's on the Pediatrics ward," Annie replied, "I didn't even know he worked here until a month ago."

"Well, Annie, there's only one of you and hundreds of doctors and nurses you have to meet," Rich enthused, patting her shoulder, "I'm sure you're doing a great job."

Jeff wanted to scream, but settled for an eye roll.

"What brings you by, Jeff?" Rich asked as he turned his attention back to the other man.

"Oh, you know, legal stuff," he answered, intentionally vague and somewhat childishly. Annie cleared her throat in warning.

Completely unaware of the subtext in the room, Rich smiled at both of them again and said, "Well, I have little lives to save. It was great seeing you again, Jeff. Next time let's do lunch, okay?"

Jeff faked another laugh as they shook hands. "Oh, sure, definitely," he said as Rich walked out.

He turned back to see Annie regarding him with disapproval. "I brought you a skinny vanilla latte, with a touch of whipped cream and cinnamon," he offered, smiling his most charming smile.

Glancing over at the counter, Annie looked longingly at the coffee. She turned back to Jeff and gave him a relenting smirk. "Okay, thanks," she said, spinning on her heel and motioning with her hand, "Come on in."

He reached back for the coffee and grumbled, "Rich," under his breath. Louise must have heard him, because she narrowed her eyes and whispered. "He really is the worst."

Jeff was excited, both to have someone else agree about Rich and also to have found a common ground with the tough receptionist. "I know, right?" he exclaimed before he heard Annie yell, "Jeff, come on, I'm busy!"

He shared another conspiratorial smile with Louise before heading to the office.

"Of all the hospitals in all the world, Dr. Do No Wrong just happens to be working at the same one as you," Jeff said snidely as he kicked her office door closed behind him.

Annie gave him another disapproving look as she accepted her coffee from him. "Rich isn't that bad." She took a sip and eyed him over the top of the cup. "He's married."

Jeff's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding? Someone married him?"

"That's how I found out he worked here," she replied. "I was at our annual fundraiser and started talking with this woman who said she was married to one of the pediatricians. When she found me later to introduce her husband, turns out it was Rich."

He stroked his chin. "Wow, Pierce and Rich both married. Is it _that_ rough out there for single women these days?"

She wasn't quite sure how to take the jab, but she knew her next sentence would throw him off his game. "They want to set me up with some internist they know."

This time Jeff's eyebrows almost shot off of his face. "They want to what now?" Annie laughed openly at his discomfort, and he attempted a quick recovery. "So, are you going to let them? I mean, she has to be as creepy as he is, right? Can you really trust their taste?"

"No, I'm not going to let them." She put the coffee cup on her desk and leaned forward. "If you ever repeat this to anyone, and I mean anyone, I'll kill you," she said just above a whisper.

He had no idea what was coming, but he nodded his agreement in silence and steeled himself for whatever she was about to say.

"I don't know if I've changed so much, or he has, or we both have," Annie began, rambling slightly. She gave her head a quick shake and looked back at Jeff. "But I find Rich…kind of…sort of…annoying…now."

She cringed as she saw his triumphant face come out in full force. "Yes!" he exclaimed, the hand not holding his coffee making a fist in the air. "It's about time you realize what I've said all along."

Annie couldn't help but smile at his reaction. "I'm warning you, though, Jeff, I better not find out that you've told Abed or Britta, or anyone else about this. Not even Louise: I know she hates him," she warned with a finger pointed at his face.

He knew he should try and appear serious, but he was feeling too smug to care. "I promise, not even Louise."

She accepted his word and picked up her pen and notepad. "All right, what do you have for me today?"

* * *

They worked through his stack of clients and cases. As he closed the last folder he said, "That should be a lesson to all of us not to steal ketchup from another table, right?"

She laughed at his joke but seemed distant. As he was putting the files back in his briefcase she blurted out, "Why didn't you call?"

"Huh?" he asked, turning his face back to hers. Jeff knew that he could have covered the information over the phone, but he was hoping she enjoyed his visits as much as he did. Well, if she didn't, he sure as hell wasn't going to admit to looking for reasons to show up here.

Before he could formulate a good answer, though, she spoke again. "All that time I was in San Diego. Why didn't you ever call me?"

The hell? "Can I ask where this is coming from all of a sudden?"

Annie shrugged. "It's not all of a sudden. I'm just now asking you about it."

Oh, because that makes perfect sense, Jeff thought. He settled the briefcase back on the floor, leaned back in the chair and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know, Annie," he began, "I wasn't sure you wanted to hear from me when you first got there with Scott, and then, after the break up, I didn't want you to…get the wrong idea."

"So, you didn't show concern for me as a friend because you were afraid I would read more into it?" she asked rather snidely. "What did you think I would do, Jeff, hop the first plane back to Greendale the minute we hung up?"

He flinched a little, trying to reconcile the Annie he remembered with this one. "Well, when you put it like that it sounds –"

"Lame? Pathetic? Desperate?" The pitch of her voice got higher with every word.

"What do you want from me?" His voice rose slightly. "I was worried, and I felt bad for you, but you had cut yourself off from me a long time before you left."

She looked visibly stung. "Well, if I did cut myself off from you, it was because that's what you wanted."

"I never said that." He shook his head determinedly.

"You said you didn't want to be with me," she shot back.

"Not at all the same thing," he retorted. He leaned forward to bring himself closer to her eyes. "And what I said was that I _wouldn't_ be with you, because I didn't want to hurt you."

"And now you don't think you would hurt me?" she asked, openly, without any kind of accusation in her voice. "Or that if you did hurt me, I could handle it better than I would have then? Is that it?"

Jeff realized she had been thinking about him asking her out. Then his eyes lit up, because, well, she had been thinking about him asking her out.

He phrased his words carefully. "I can't guarantee you anything, but I know I've changed, and you sure as hell have changed. All I know is that there's always been something between us, and it's still there for me, and now I feel ready to do something about it."

Annie didn't say anything, just looked at him, wide-eyed. He briefly wondered if she was going to cry, but Annie2.0 didn't seem like much of a crier. Then another thought flittered through his head.

"And anyway, why didn't _you_ call _me_?"

"Oh, that," she said sheepishly, looking down at her desk. But she brought her eyes back up to his a moment later. "You were right; I did cut myself off from you. It was the only way I could deal with you saying that nothing could ever happen between us. But when Scott dumped me…"

She put her head in her hands; ran her hands over her hair as she looked back up. "I don't know what I'm looking for here. I'm sorry I asked."

Jeff noted that she would never have backed down from this kind of conversation before. Obviously she had found that growing up also meant putting up your guard. "Don't be sorry." He reached out to take one of her hands. "We're friends, right? We should able to talk about things. And I don't want you to be mad at me for something I did or didn't do years ago."

"Thanks, Jeff." She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand before slipping hers out from under it. "I'm not mad at you, really. I guess I've just been confused by you asking me out."

He reached for his briefcase, snapped it shut and stood up. "Nothing to be confused about: I asked, you said no. End of story."

When she didn't reply he smiled and said, "See you later, Annie."

His hand was on the doorknob when he heard her say, "Ask me again sometime."

He whirled around to face her. "What did you say?"

She looked up innocently at him, the coffee cup near her lips. "I said thank you for the coffee."

Jeff watched her eyebrows rise as she took a sip. "That is not what you said."

"It wasn't?" she asked sweetly.

Flirting is what she was doing, he realized. She was flirting. "No, it definitely wasn't, but you're welcome. So what _did_ you say?"

"Hmm," Annie contemplated the far wall for a moment. "I may have said you should ask me out again sometime."

He felt a tremor of excitement course through his body, but he kept his expression in check. "Can you give me a hint of when 'sometime' is, exactly? Cause I really don't like to crash and burn twice."

At that she rolled her eyes. "You didn't really crash and burn the first time." Noting his skeptical reaction, she amended, "Okay, maybe crashed and…dented the bumper."

This caused him to roll _his_ eyes. "Annie, let's focus on what's important here. Are we talking days? Weeks? Months?"

"Would you be willing to wait months?" She still knew how to work the doe eyes.

But he was still a good lawyer. "Is this some kind of test?"

"No!" she said loudly. More calmly she explained, "Look, I wasn't lying that night in your apartment. I am still trying to work through a lot of things. And I definitely value our friendship. But, I've been thinking about it. I haven't been able to _stop_ thinking about it, so I was hoping we could keep the idea on the table."

"The idea?" he asked, "But not an actual date?"

"Not right now," she confirmed.

He shook his head in confusion. "And you're not gonna give me any kind of timeline?"

"I can't. I'd like to think that, when I am ready, you will know." She said this as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

This idea felt very much like something Annie1.0 would have cooked up. It almost made him feel safe. It definitely made him feel frustrated.

"Okay, I'm willing to go along with this 'idea' thing." He pointed a finger in her direction, "But you can't get mad if I see other people in the meantime."

Annie didn't like that notion. She downright hated it, but she had to be fair. "Fine, I won't get mad. And you can't get mad if I see other people."

"But the whole reason you said no was that you're not ready to date!" This level of frustration she had driven him to was definitely Classic Annie.

"I'm not ready to date _you_," she clarified.

He opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. Then he took a few breaths. "Fine. You can date other people. I can date other people. And one day I'll just magically know that you're ready to date me. Awesome. Super duper plan."

It was obvious she heard the sarcasm in his voice; she was obviously choosing to ignore it. "Great! So we're on the same page," she said with a nod and a smile. "Thanks again for the coffee, and for stopping by."

"I -, you-, I have to get to court," he stammered out before opening the door and wandering out into the receptionist area.

Louise, ready to be kind to her new ally in Rich hate, gave him a warm goodbye which he only answered with a grunt and a wave. She looked through the door to Annie's desk, an unspoken question written on her face.

Annie just shrugged as if she had no idea what his problem was, got up and shut the door, and giggled to herself as she leaned against it.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thanks for all of your encouragement and for enjoying the fic. I kind of lost my way around CommunityLand for awhile. I hope I can give this a fitting ending._

* * *

"You know, people have been telling me to go fly a kite all my life, and now I'm finally doing it!" Troy enthused as he and Abed finished putting the toy together. Next to them, Annie was helping Jasmine with hers. "My dad used to take me to the park every spring to fly kites. It was something we always did together, just the two of us," she commented as Jasmine clapped at the pretty butterflies on her model.

The group had decided to enjoy the recent sunny weather with a BBQ in the park. Andre was manning the grill and the others were helping Shirley set up the table.

After a few successful attempts at flight and many more unsuccessful ones, Jasmine grew bored and ran to the table for a juice box. Stacy and Pierce decided to give the kite a try while Annie grabbed a bottle of water.

"This was a good idea, Annie," Shirley said from across the table.

"Yeah, it's fun," she agreed.

"Too bad Jeff couldn't join us," Britta said bitterly.

"Where is Jeff?" Andre asked, looking at Annie as he dropped a plate of cooked hot dogs on the table.

She shrugged. "How should I know? He said he would make it."

"And yet he's not here," grumbled Britta.

"I hope he's all right," Shirley offered.

"Guys, we've only been here half an hour," Andre said, trying to be the voice of reason, "and I'm sure if Jeff doesn't show, he's got a good reason."

As he walked back to the grill Britta sneered, Shirley shrugged and Annie tried to keep a blank face. She was worried that she was the reason Jeff hadn't shown, and she didn't want to have to explain why to the others.

"I can't believe Elijah has his driver's license!" she enthused, trying to change the subject. "And it's so sweet of him to take Jordan with him to his friend's house."

"Sweet my butt," Shirley replied, "we have to force him to spend time with his brother, with all of us. He's just at that age."

She was about to reply when Britta said, "Well, look who decided to make an appearance."

Annie turned around to see Jeff standing next to Abed and Troy while they showed him their kite. It took every ounce of self control she had not to smile from ear to ear. Instead she shifted back to face Britta and Shirley and said, "Good, we're all here!"

A moment later she heard Andre say, "Hey, man" and felt Jeff slide onto the picnic bench next to her. "Hey, guys," he said as he looked at each of them. "Sorry I'm late. I had breakfast with my mom and she asked me to do a few chores for her. It took longer than I thought to get away."

"Well, we can't be upset at you for that," Shirley smiled.

Britta looked skeptical. "If you're telling the truth, that is."

Jeff just smiled his cocky smile and turned to look at Annie. "Would I lie?"

She smirked at him. "Of course you would! But I don't think you would lie about your mom."

He chuckled then held up his left arm to show a bruise and a scrape just above his elbow. "Slipped coming off the ladder and caught the edge of the fence."

"Okay, I believe you," said Britta, looking just a little bit guilty.

Jeff looked at Shirley. "Should I offer to help Andre?"

"Oh, no," she replied emphatically, "he won't let anyone get near his grill."

Just then Jasmine ran up and grabbed onto his leg. "Mr. Jeff! Mr. Jeff!"

He looked down at her with a smile and patted her back. "Hey, munchkin."

"She just loves him," Shirley cooed.

"Wanna fly my kite with me and Ms. Annie?" the little girl asked.

Jeff glanced over at Annie, who offered him a smile. "Sure," he answered, "sounds like fun."

* * *

It turned out that he was a pretty good kite flier, and Jasmine squealed with delight as her kite rose far above Abed and Troy's. "Why did we want him to hang out with us again?" Troy mumbled to Abed.

Soon Andre was calling them all over to the table to eat. Annie made a point of sitting next to Stacy so she could get to know the older woman better. She tried not to care that Jeff had taken the spot on her other side, particularly since he was fielding questions about optimal kite flying from Abed and had his head turned in the opposite direction.

Yet she could still feel his presence. It reminded her of the old days, when merely sitting next to him in the cafeteria gave her a secret thrill.

Was she thrilled now, she wondered?

* * *

After they ate Abed, Troy, Jeff and Andre played basketball while Pierce insisted on teaching the rest of them croquet. When it started growing dark they made use of Andre and Shirley's fire pit and roasted marshmallows.

Annie chose to sit on the outer edge of their semi-circle and lost herself in thought as she set out her assembly line to make her S'mores.

"This has been fun," Jeff said as he sat down next to her a few minutes later. She had just taken a bite of her messy S'more and he had caught her off guard, probably on purpose. "You still know how to throw a good party."

"Uff usfedde thwing meh perrdiees werf lumm," Annie replied, covering her mouth with her hand. He laughed as she swallowed and drank some water. "You used to think my parties were lame," she said again, pouting slightly.

Jeff registered her words but had become transfixed with a dab of chocolate that remained at the corner of her mouth. Reaching out his thumb, he answered, "No, I didn't," as he wiped the errant chocolate away. Annie pulled back slightly at his touch, then gave a little laugh and wiped her face with her napkin.

She tried not to be turned on by Jeff licking the chocolate off of his thumb. It didn't work. "Well, anyway, at least this marshmallow roast isn't ending in a huge fight like our last one."

Jeff glanced around at the others, who were broken off into smaller conversations. "I guess we finally ran out of things to fight about."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Shirley said if we still saw each other as much as we did in college we'd still be fighting like that."

He nodded. "She's probably right. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Annie turned her face away from his and back to the fire, twisting her marshmallow spit nervously.

"Speaking of Shirley," she said, clearing her throat, "she mentioned that she and Andre ran into you the other night when you were out on a date."

"Oh, that, yeah," he replied, looking for signs of jealousy from her. "That was a one-off; we didn't click."

Annie turned back to him, smiling, "You didn't _'click'_? Since when do you say things like that?"

"Since I started looking for more than one-night stands," he answered. "And what about you? I heard from Britta that you've dated a string of guys over the last couple of weeks."

"Not a string!" she huffed, "just two or three."

She noted Jeff's lawyer face. "Okay, four. But everyone's been wanting to fix me up since I got back into town, so I just decided to agree to all of them at once and get it over with."

"Get it over with? You didn't like any of these guys?"

"No, we didn't _click_," she sneered. "I guess I was checking to see…"

"To see if you liked any of them more than you like me?" Jeff asked, hopefully.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"And you didn't click with any of them?"

"I already said I didn't," she replied with a huff, turning back to her marshmallow.

Jeff looked at her profile for a minute. "You know what bothers me, Annie?" he asked sincerely. "You seem to like me against your will."

"Well wasn't that always your problem?" she replied. "Didn't you like me against your will?"

"Yeah, I did," he nodded. "Is this some kind of torture thing? You want me to know what it feels like to be rejected by someone who you know really wants to be with you?"

Annie twisted her head around to see if anyone else was listening, but they were still talking, laughing and eating amongst themselves.

"No, I'm not trying to torture you," she said, ducking her head down. "Okay, maybe I was a little, that day at my office," she admitted.

She pulled her marshmallow from the fire. Without a word, Jeff took the spit from her and began forming her S'more.

"It's just the idea of you, wanting me, after all this time, scares me a little."

He wrapped the finished treat in a napkin and handed it to her. "Because you think I'm going to hurt you?"

"Maybe," she answered, "but mostly I think I'm worried about you wanting the person I was back then. And maybe I just want the person you were back then, too."

She drew in a silent breath as he once again licked chocolate off of his fingers.

"Look, Annie," he said finally, meeting her eyes, "I can try to assure over and over again, and you can analyze this to death. But there's really one way to find out if this is something, if it can be something now, not whatever we were back at Greendale."

Annie studied his face in the firelight. Once upon a time, Jeff Winger had refused to allow her to make a mistake by dating him. Now he was offering himself up.

And she knew resistance was futile. She wouldn't let the chance of making the mistake of Jeff Winger pass her by. If she did, she would regret it for the rest of her life. And Annie Edison was tired of regretting the past.

Drawing herself up, she smiled and said, "You're right. There's only one way to find out."

"I'm right?" Jeff asked, astonished. "So, you're saying you'll go out with me?"

He might be right, but she was still Annie Edison. "I'm saying when you call and ask me out like a proper gentleman, my answer will be yes."

He wanted to roll his eyes and scream at her, but instead he just watched her take another huge bite of S'more, covering the corners of her mouth again in chocolate. "As you wish, milady," he said with a chuckle.

Abed and Troy had finally worked out the logistics of the super kite they had decided to create. As Troy chomped down on his fifth S'more, Abed cast a glance over to Annie and Jeff, who were not speaking, but just smiling at each other.

"What's going on, Jeff? Annie?" he asked, getting everyone's attention. "Are you two hooking up?"

"Abed!" Shirley cried, "That's not nice."

"Why do you care, you have your boyfriend Troy," Pierce offered.

"Guys, have a little respect!" Britta yelled.

Jeff cast a glance at Annie then turned back to their friend. "No, Abed, we're not hooking up. But I'm going to ask Annie out in the very near future."

"And I'm going to say yes," she added.

There was a round of "What?" "Aww!" and "Really?" followed by Pierce muttering, "This is so gonna ruin the group."

Annie looked at Jeff and started laughing, and soon the others had all joined in.


End file.
